The film is well shot and edited, backed with a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack and full of pep.
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06/27/08
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Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (2008)
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:30
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves his worth as a director with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006.
Theatrical Release:Jun 27, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: On the corner of 155th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard in Harlem lies Rucker Park. By appearances, the concrete pavement, anchored on one side by its run down slab bleachers, is no different than... [More]
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Reviews for Gunnin' for That #1 Spot
Top CriticA cool look at superstars-to-be paying respect to Harlem's Rucker Park on their path to hoops greatness.
06/27/08
Director Adam Yauch tricks up this eclectic look at all-star high school basketball with so much cool high-def camera work and showy editing it's sure to satisfy the film's target youth audience's appetite for zippy visuals and swift pacing.
06/27/08
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch shoots and scores with this documentary that follows eight elite high-school basketball players showcasing their skills along with 16 other prospects in an all-star game at Harlem's (in)famous Rucker Park court.
06/27/08
Call it Hoop Daydreams: a whiz-bang frolic through the lives and skills of eight high-school basketball players who dribble, pass and shoot their way into the ultimate city-park game.
06/27/08
Would be more at home on ESPN than the big screen. But B-Ball fans should enjoy it in either venue.
06/27/08
Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot is an on-the-fly record of a memorable moment in basketball history.
06/27/08
Top CriticA conventional exercise in documentary storytelling, not a rich and incisive assessment of youth and sports cultures.
06/27/08
As sports movies go, Gunnin' never feels the slightest bit hokey, and serves up SportsCenter-worthy clips in high style, along with the unmistakable feel of real life.
06/26/08
The film covers the game's highlights with great flair.
06/26/08
Although it isn't a particularly deep look at the world of pressures and performance anxieties faced by high-school phenoms, Gunnin' is a welcome treat to anyone who follows the game closely.
06/26/08
Adam Yauch, Beastie Boy turned documentarian, turns in a crisp, insightful, but emotionally distant look at the best high school basketball players of 2006 with Gunnin' for That #1 Spot.
06/26/08
As a sports film, it doesn’t dig as deep as Hoop Dreams, but Gunnin’ will surely prove as inspiring.
06/26/08
As each player's run through the same routine—hometown meet-and-greet, biographical sketch, hasty interview—the burden of the formulaic structure starts to wear.
06/25/08
An impressive feat on every level as Yauch brings an unbridled passion to shining a spotlight on some of the country's finest young basketball players in a way that can be appreciated by anyone and everyone.
06/24/08
It’s as much a snapshot of the contemporary basketball scene as it is a love letter to the famed uptown court.
06/23/08
Although much of its archive footage from high school games shows up blurry, pixleated or in an otherwise raw form, it nonetheless clarifies the abilities of thoroughly committed young players executing their most impressive basketball skills.
06/22/08
Hip-hop and basketball have never been so uninspiringly brought together as they are in Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's kinetic but shallow chronicle of the buildup to the first annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic.
06/22/08
After the gimmicky audience-shot concert film "Awesome ... ," Beastie Boy Adam Yauch proves he can make a comprehensive, state-of-the-art docu of interest to basketball aficionados.
05/13/08
Easily the best movie of its kind since Steve James' Hoop Dreams.
05/02/08
Latest News for Gunnin' for That #1 Spot
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